Almay Bold Nudes for Hazel Eyes Intense i-Color Kit Review+Swatches

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Almay says "inject a fun pop of expertly coordinated color into your classic nude eye look and all eyes will be on your one-of-a-kind baby blues, smoldering browns, honeyed hazels, or exotic greens. Just choose the silky powder shadow trio that's designed to intensify your unique eye color. You're on the way to a multi-dimensional nude eye look that perfectly enhances, never bores." This trio is available in four shades, I'm reviewing the set best suited to hazel eyes. This eyeshadow trio contains 3.4g (.12 oz) and retails for around $7. I received this Almay Bold Nudes Intensive i-Color Kit in a giveaway from the very lovely JujuAllOver. Almay does not test on animals. This eyeshadow was made in the USA.

Packaging for Almay's Bold Nudes Intense i-Color Kit is pretty bland. The palette is made of mid-weight, white plastic with a clear flip top cap. An eyelash design graces the front of the packaging. A label offering a quick tutorial on how to use these shadows is affixed to the back of the palette. The three eyeshadows are laid out in the shape of an eye, which is unique. I dislike that you get double the amount of the eyelid shade. A sponge tip applicator is included with this eyeshadow trio. Packaging is recyclable.

The eyeshadows in Almay's Bold Nudes Intense i-Color Kit are the epitome of average. This trio is made up of two shimmery shades and one matte eyeshadow. In typical drugstore eyeshadow fashion, the two shimmery shades are soft and decently pigmented, but the matte shadow is dry and patchy. The two shimmery shades are a little on the powdery side and kick up a bit of excess powder. All three eyeshadows are decently blendable and easy enough to apply. I don't want to say that these eyeshadows aren't pigmented, or even sheer, but they are definitely lightly pigmented (thought not as light as Physicians Formula's Nude palette). The soft color payoff is pretty disappointing, considering these are supposed to be BOLD. Wear time is average, when worn over a primer I get about 6 hours of wear before these eyeshadows before they begin to fade significantly. On the bright side, Almay's eyeshadows rarely crease on me, and when they do, it's minimal.

The eyelid shade is a warm, light peach shade that's almost a little salmon-y to me. A bit of subtle gold micro-shimmer is present, but it isn't noticeable on the eye, giving this eyeshadow a gentle sheen. I don't find this color very flattering when worn on the eye, but its quite pretty in the crease. This eyeshadow is lightly pigmented and really needs to be packed on if you want it to show up true to pan.

The crease shade is a matte, navy blue - nothing we haven't seen before. This eyeshadow is a great alternative to black eyeliner. On the other hand, if blended out very lightly this eyeshadow can become a pretty cornflower hue. This patchy matte is the low point of the Bold Nude for Hazels trio.

The highlight shade is a warm, frosted ivory with minuscule flecks of silver and gold shimmer. In my opinion this eyeshadow is too reflective to be used as a brow bone highlight, but I think it looks quite pretty dusted all over the lid. This is the most pigmented eyeshadow of the three.

Almay's Bold Nudes for Hazel Eyes Intense i-Color Kit isn't bad, it just isn't particularly good. For being labeled Bold, its pretty bland. The three shades that make up this mediocre trio can create a soft, pretty look. The color selection, pigmentation level, and textures are all uninspiring, I don't see myself reaching for it very often in the future. The packaging is quite plain as well. The price point of $6-8 isn't unreasonable though. I wouldn't repurchase this trio, nor recommend Almay's Bold Nudes for Hazel Eyes Intense i-Color Kit, unless the colors appeal to you.